


Seething With Hatred, Judgement For All

by MarrowMeister



Series: Codependence [6]
Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Venom (Comics)
Genre: Blood, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Gore, Masturbation, Nonbinary Character, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Other, Sexual Content, Symbiote - Freeform, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:28:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23546893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarrowMeister/pseuds/MarrowMeister
Summary: This is the first real step into the core story of the narrative; Everything from here forward will build off of this story. The first thing you'll notice is that Caspian does not live in 'our' Universe, they live in the Marvel Universe. Each universe follows different rules with everything from biology to physics. The differences are notably small most of the time, but they do exist. This story introduces the symbiote known as Seethe and how a small mistake can seemingly be the cause of events on a multiversal level. I hope you enjoy!Seethe is owned by user @blodhundur on Twitter.
Relationships: Original Symbiote Character(s) (Marvel)/Original Character(s)
Series: Codependence [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1694629
Kudos: 1
Collections: Tumblr Monster Stories





	Seething With Hatred, Judgement For All

**Author's Note:**

> There is a brief sex\masturbation scene and some mildly graphic violence.

The vacuum of space was silent. The physical incapability of sound transmission through the endless vastness would unnerve nearly any human on earth, or at best, allow a moment of sheer appreciation and fear for the unknown. Richard occasionally took the time to simply hover in orbit around Earth for a handful of minutes; that is before he continued his cosmically essential efforts to protect those in need. The hero known as Nova rarely experienced nearly any kind of extraterrestrial life that could even make him flinch, let along experience fear for his life. The man tore at his armor, clutching every inch he could grasp in an effort to remove the goo like substance that clung to his body. The material moved in an almost sentient manner as it stretched and clawed its away up his body, reforming over every inch it was torn away from.

“WHAT ARE YOU!?” Nova screamed in panic as his fingers crackled with a cosmic energy that had once been bestowed upon him with no instructions; yet was now commanded by a master of intergalactic combat.

Richard knew on a conscious level just beneath his panic that whatever was trying to break into his suit had no chance of doing so. The impervious armor allowed him to survive on even the harshest of natural environments.

The goo did not speak, or even attempt to speak. Its mind not that of a monster, but of a wholly sentient creature. The alien knew it needed a host, it _craved_ a host. Their species was not built for solitude. Nova screamed once more as his hands warbled with blinding lightning of technological power. The glow enveloped his hands and projected itself through space in no particular direction as he redirected the beams towards himself. The alien had never experienced real pain, at least not on the physical level and squealed at a pitch that could have shattered glass. It felt thousands, if not tens of thousands of its own cells vaporize in an instant. Each one connected to another forming a coherent hive mind that functioned as one. Nova blasted himself again, feeling the impact as it boiled the flesh beneath his armor. His body would heal, but then did nothing to dull the pain. Nova struggled to maintain his flight path as the hero felt the pull of Earth’s gravity. The reentrance into an atmosphere was never a pleasant experience, the vibrations, intense heat, and reacclimating to gravity always felt so unnatural. Richard lost sight of the shifting color of the horizon just as the blackness of space began to give way to the blue of the sky. He was unsure if the monster that clung to him was screaming or if the deafening sound and rattling of his skull was due to the change in atmospheric pressure as his suit compensated for the different fronts of contact.

The alien screeched as the heat of reentry began to burn it mass away. Every cell, every inch of its being rapidly cooked and turned to dust within seconds as it slowly shrunk. The Klyntar knew it had one last chance lest it resign to the fate of its death. The solid black goo began developing uneven stretches of white across its shrinking body from the pain and stress it simply could not handle. Its remaining chromatophores no longer listening to its physiological commands as its form loosened. The alien pushed against Nova’s chest, three glowing and interconnected orbs of glowing energy not unlike the kind that had devastated them both minutes prior. The alien felt another intense burning sensation just over the location of the man’s emblem, but was not entirely sure whether it was simply the atmospheric heat or another offensive energy blast. It screamed louder than it ever had, the inhuman screech a garbled caterwaul of nonsense that meant the same thing in every language across the **multiverse**. Nova recovered after expending such a powerful blast of energy from his chest.

“WHY WON’T YOU DIE!” he cried in confusion and desperation as the ocean below grew closer and closer.

Nova felt the creature weaken, just as the protective lens over his right eye splintered.

“huAH-“ he gasped, the airtight suit immediately being depressurized; every ounce of oxygen being sucked from his all too human lungs within microseconds.

The ooze lunged forward through the break, seizing its chance. A single bridge of the alien’s body reached with an intense desperation and weakness to close the centimeter of distance between the possible host’s skin and the shrinking space of the self-sealing lens. Nova mustered his strength in an attempt to catch his breath but the effort was for naught.

Their bodies collided with the ocean at terminal velocity, shattering the concrete surface tension of the saltwater. The sea foam exploded into the air as if struck by a bomb and tore both beings from one another. The water boiled for a handful of seconds as steam rose into the air, now tainted with the scent of salt and burnt flesh. The alien did not follow the same rules of consciousness as humans did due to its unique cellular structure, but if there was an equivalent for the Klyntar species they had just experienced it. The initial seconds of recovery after the impact caused a wave of panic to spread over the alien as its significantly diminished mass and weakened form flailed in the resistant salt-water of Earth. It never saw Nova face to face ever again, floating along the ocean’s surface like an ill-tempered oil slick.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Caspian passively scratched the side of their head, the recent haircut they had received just hours ago had left a handful of stray hairs on the collar of their shirt which would occasionally irritate their skin. They felt a passive thought flit through their head about how convenient it was that almost everything was generally considered walking distance in New York City and how even though the subways smelled weird there was no real reason to avoid public transit. Caspian brushed the neck of their shirt once more and ignored the loose hairs that fell. They dipped their hand into the pocket of the dark grey joggers they wore and pulled the cellphone just larger than their open palm into view. They held the hard plastic button on the side and waited as the blue screen warbled to life, displaying the ‘STARK’ brand logo which quickly disappeared, revealing their home screen and apps. Caspian knew the area they lived in relatively well and would rarely get turned around or even lost. They continued walking somewhat aimlessly between buildings and across sidewalks, only looking up from their technological distraction at each street light.

Caspian scrolled through their news feed, skimming the headlines of the Daily Bugle and its competitors. There was not a single New Yorker who was unaware that living in their city was the equivalent of walking around with a cosmic target on their back. It felt like every other week there was some sort of world ending catastrophe that the Avengers, or Fantastic Four or some other group had to step in to deal with. After a few years the populace grew numb to the dangers and returned to their everyday lives. It was always a magnificent and awe inspiring experience to see a superhero up close, but even that began to grow into a commodity. Caspian closed the inconvenient ‘pop-up’ advertisement with a clearly staged photo of the two men known as Luke Cage and The Iron Fist; which helped to illustrate their point in an ironic manner.

Caspian lived in Washington Heights which was a generally ‘super hero free’ zone. They closed their phone and placed it back into their pocket, finally having reached their favorite portion of their daily run. Caspian inhaled deeply, the crisp air punctuated by the nearby trees and incredible air quality of the city. Battery Park occasionally had a somewhat large number of people lounging around, but after the recent… disagreement between Attuma and Namor just off the coast, many citizens had opted to stay away from particularly large bodies of water. Caspian did not feel that they particularly had a deathwish or anything of the sorts, more that they just did not see a point in trying to avoid death when it could come from anywhere at any time. They continued a brisk walk along the railings that separated the bay from the park, the occasional spark of anxiety any time a wave clashed against the concrete at a volume louder than a clap. Caspian paused and approached the railing, wishing to take a small break from their exercise. The metallic railing was cold to the touch, their skin tensing into goosebumps in reaction. A small sailboat passed just a few hundred feet away as Caspian looked deeply into the water for any sign of danger. They rationally knew there was nothing for them to worry about but also recognized their irrational anxiety did not take constructive criticism.

Caspian continued peering over the edge of the railing, forcing themselves to blink twice hard after catching the ever so slight glimpse of an unnatural black and reddish pink substance floating in the water below. Caspian stared deeply at the material that appeared to be clinging to the wall of brick and mortar. It was as if the goo itself was trying to pull itself out of the water and on to dry land. Caspian felt a mild wave of anxiety, knowing that they could be practically hallucinating the whole thing, or it could be some bizarre Atlantean technology left over from the recent battles. An ever so slight audible whine prodded Caspian’s brain, causing them to question if it was something they actually heard or some sort of tinnitus. Nevertheless, against every form of better judgement they had, Caspian walked closer towards the black and red substance; leaning over the railing to get a closer look. The metal bar they leaned on was cold, the salt water that constantly blew onto it and dried causing an ever so slightly sticky layer of salt to have formed. Caspian knew it was not a good idea but couldn’t help but feel an intense curiosity, they wanted to know what that object was. They wanted to know how it felt. Was it a weapon of some sort? Their brain itched to find out.

Caspian looked around quickly, the emptiness of the park spiking a moment of anxiety that if their curiosity caused their downfall there would be nobody to know. Nobody to see such an event unfold. With any real self preservation firmly flying out the window, Caspian placed a foot on the railing and cautiously threw their body weight to the other side. They clung on the outside of the railing and looked downwards, the maybe ten feet between them and the water below not seeming to be much of an issue. They lowered themselves slowly, grasping the bars which soon gave way to the brick wall itself. Its unmanaged and unkempt stone having been eroded over the years and allowing even a novice to climb easily downwards. Caspian could feel their stomach vibrating into their throat, sensing some sort of danger that could easily not exist. Caspian’s anxiety constantly alerting them to threats that did not exist.

Caspian grasped the crumbling brick tightly, only inches from the water’s surface and only millimeters from the black and red substance. They felt their curiosity overwhelm their cautiousness once more and leaned closer to the material, a peculiar warmth emanating ever so slightly. Caspian’s brain insisted that whatever it was, it was alive. Logic told them there was no way this was true. The goo oozed and pulsed for another moment, pausing before seemingly taking notice of the human before it. Its previous actions of loosely grasping the wall before it now giving way to an almost pathetic outward grasp to the person. Caspian took notice immediately, watching as the goo condensed in on itself and stretched towards them, just wanting to touch, to make contact. Caspian watched in awe;

“H-hello?” they asked, feeling somewhat stupid in that moment, attempting to talk to what was likely no more than an overgrown sea cucumber.

The goo stopped instantly, its entire central mass shifting as the warmth it gave off increased for no more than a second. Caspian extended a hand, feeling their body begin to cramp from the awkward position of holding on to the only thing that kept them from falling into the ocean.

“No- no cmon you have to be alive. If gods are real and aliens are real, I have no idea what you are but you look like you need help.” Caspian felt themselves say without thinking, wishing to aid the clearly weakened creature.

Caspian looked around once more, searching for how they could possibly save the ooze and get themselves out of their current predicament. Caspian’s muscles complained and they struggled to think quickly.

Caspian felt a falling sensation out of nowhere, their entire stomach entering their throat as a scream escaped from their throat. The yelp was uncontrollable as the eroded brick and mortar gave way to the pressure of holding a human body for so long and crumbled outwards. Caspian fell, an intense pressure and incredible pain forcing a wave of blackness over their senses. The grasp of unconsciousness digging its claws into their body as their skull cracked inward. The unforgiving rocks surrounding them holding no mercy for the fragility of the human body as an inky rescuer enveloped them below.

Caspian awoke in a sense, feeling like a passenger in their own body. They felt their muscles contracting and moving but resisting when they attempted to push their own will throughout. Their eyes were open and they could see, the world appearing clearer and more crisp than ever, as if they were looking through some sort of visual enhancement device. Momentary panic set in but the emotion was pushed aside almost instantly by an uncompromising force; as if an internal force was chemically sedating them and forcing reason and calm into their body. They attempted to recall what had happened and felt a peculiar sensation similar to that of remembering a long-lost forgotten memory. Dozens of images and sensations fleeted through their consciousness. None of them felt foreign, but they all felt new. It was a bizarre sensation to experience memories they had never actually lived through. A certain clarity eased into their thoughts as they realized what exactly was happening. Caspian felt a hesitance elsewhere in their body as whatever had been piloting them seemingly relinquished control.

“H-hello?” they asked to nobody in particular.

Their voice gurgling wetly for no longer than a second before it readjusted into a more human sounding familiar tone. There was no answer back, at least not directly. Caspian extended their arms and examined their skin deeply, feeling as if something crawled beneath it. The incredibly unnerving sensation gave way almost instantaneously as they suddenly felt… whole. A secondary consciousness living within their own that understood them.

“Y-you. You saved my life?” they mustered out the question, bringing their hands to the back of their head and pressing the hair softly.

Not even so much as tenderness to greet them where they had fallen and cracked their skull open. Caspian finally took in their environment; they were back in their bedroom. They had no idea how much time had passed since the earlier morning and hoped it had not been long. Caspian listened for a moment, hoping for an answer of some sort.

“I don’t even know if you can talk… I don’t even really know what you are.” they spoke just as answers to the questions flooded their brain.   
“Oh.”“  
I did not save your life, You saved mine.” A voice of raw bass and strength rattled within Caspian’s skull.

They felt uncertainty as to whether the words were truly spoken or simply shared telepathically.

“WE saved OUR life.” The voice clarified as Caspian’s skin quickly shifted in color.

The once pale white skin now a deep, cosmic black that echoed the vast endlessness of space. Caspian rolled off of their bed and on to the floor, their hands and knees supporting their body as a second skin expanded its mass over their own. The black skin expanded and multiplied, as if it folded out from itself into an ever-endless form. The experience was not painful, they sensed that it was not their body itself that was changing, but rather a new body growing over their old one. An exoskeleton of sorts. Four bright pink pointed finger like extrusions pushed themselves out of the spaces between each of their knuckles. A new hand formed over their human ones, massive pink talon tips leading to an intense crimson finger and finally the celestial black that covered the rest of their body. Caspian knew they probably should have felt fear, but instead felt power; more than power, it was as if the body they always knew belonged to them was finally being given a corporeal form. They felt out of breath, a sensation just out of reach of being called drowning forced them to cough repeatedly. A blackened bile comparable to tar spilled across the floor. They heaved painfully as a saltwater slime pushed itself from their stomach. Caspian felt larger than before, their rather averaged sized frame now barely small enough to be contained in the bedroom. Their new arms shook as they heaved once more, another swathe of blackened water seeping into the hardwood floors they clung to. The feeling subsided as their transformation rounded off. Caspian remained on their hands and knees, panting wildly as an elongated plum colored tongue drooped from their mouth. They spat the last of the fluid to the floor and shook their head with a grunt. No words were exchanged between the two consciousnesses as a mutual understanding had been reached on a subconscious level. They were two entities in one body. They were no longer individuals but rather a single being. The perfect symbiosis of two compatible organisms forming a higher plane of life.

“We. Understand.” The newly formed creature flexed its claws into the wood floors with ease.

The wood splintered and creaked under the new weight.

“We are no longer what we once were, we are…” they searched for a name, an identifier of some sort.   
“We Are **Seethe** ” they spoke together as the very air around them burned from the sheer radiation their body exuded.

Seethe examined their new body, absorbing every detail they could. Their massive multicolored claws led to the deep blackness of their arms. Three separate bands of white wrapped partially around their arms, one on their forearm, one just above their elbow, and a third clinging to their shoulder. Their collarbones held the same deep red as their fingers which trailed over the muscular pectorals of their chest. The two large red circles seemingly some sort of scar tissue of some sort leftover from the creature’s previous battle with he who had brought them here. A moment of anger flashed over as the human brain beneath rationalized the events that had occurred.

“Seethe, Nova did not know what you are. He didn’t know what you needed. You can’t fault him for his ignorance” the calm human interjected its thoughts.

The anger subsided but the scars still hurt, a phantom pain that would forever remind them of their last mistake.

“Mistake? Without him we never would have met, we never would have found eachother” Caspian reminded their other half.

The goo shifted and compressed for a moment, the equivalent of a hug perhaps. Caspian pressed their palm against their chest, the goo depressing ever so slightly as it struggled to maintain density. The time it spent floating within the ocean constantly destabilizing its form, wearing it down until it struggled to maintain its cohesion. Caspian realized that the bile surrounding them was some sort of approximation of seawater. As if the trauma the creature had experienced was relived as it formed its new body. Caspian forced a wave of reassurance into the alien, hoping it would understand that it was safe. Caspian knew they would do anything they could do stop it from being hurt again.

Seethe took their first step forward. The wood flooring splintered once more, the entire floor creaking as it threatened to collapse under their weight.

“We- we need to fix this.” Caspian muttered through a voice that was only partially their own.

They felt their own thoughts spreading, a difficulty in maintaining concentration as two minds shared and bled together.

“I’m,- We?” they juggled the words trying to figure out who exactly was thinking.

Their mind was foggy yet slowly pulling itself together. Caspian skin tightened beneath the sentient goo, goosebumps swept across their arms and disappeared just as quickly as a bizarre warmth forced a fluster. Seethe fell to a single knee with a thud that really drove home just how heavy they were.

“What- what is” they exhaled heavily hoping for an answer from the other half of their brain.   
“what is happening” the warmth spread across their body once more as they began to breathe rather heavily; the beginnings of arousal threatening to push itself to the foreground.   
“why am, why are we so-“ they knew the word they were searching for and couldn’t help but feel oddly embarrassed at the thought.

Caspian felt their new hands press themselves against their chest, ever so sensually gripping the exaggerated pectoral muscles. They couldn’t tell if these actions were their own or even their other’s… or perhaps some sort of equilibrium between the two.

Seethe’s massive form dropped onto their rear and quickly on to their back. Their massive body nearly the size of the entire room as it pushed anything in their way to the side. The bile like seawater surrounding them began to attempt to reabsorb itself into their body just as their body’s cohesion leaked into the fluid. Seethe exhaled once more, this time with enough heat to warp the air in above them. They laid sprawled on their back as both massive clawed hands traced the white lines of their shoulders and then the red trinity of symbols on their torso. Caspian felt the initial confusion slip away as any real reason against the feelings slipped away, they couldn’t help but encourage the creeping arousal.

“hhuun-“ Seethe’s garbled voice mixed with Caspian’s own as their inhumanly long pink tongue flopped to their cheek.

Caspian felt their arms move further south, not quite sure if it was their own doing or if they were simply enslaved by their own pleasure. Seethe dropped their left hand into the clearish black fluid that surrounded them, bringing their fingers to their eye lenses and rubbing it between their thumb and index talon. The fluid had thickened to a slippery and almost suggestive like viscosity. The reality of what was about to take place was easily ignored as Seethe slid their hand through the fluid once more and brought it just between their legs. The once threatening pink talons that appeared as if they were capable of slicing through glass had softened in appearance. Seethe placed a hand against their thigh, an almost shocking feeling of surprise forced a bit of a gasp from their toothy maw. They knew it was their own doing, but the hands felt unfamiliar in a way. The air distorted once more just outside of Seethe’s mouth as the sheer heat they exuded began to boil the fluid below and even char the wood below.

Seethe brought their left hand further down their thigh and finally just between their legs, every inch of new skin an entirely new sensation. It was still their body; but it was as if the very skin had never felt these sensations before. Caspian was lost within their own bliss… no, Seethe’s bliss. Seethe moaned in pleasure for the first time in their existence, the alien had never felt pleasure during its lifetime and was lost in its own new body. Both entities, host and symbiote together were bonding in more than just one sense.

Seethe pressed their fingers between their legs; the symbiote’s form depressed as the slick sensation massaged in just the right spot. Caspian had masturbated many times before, they did not consider themselves to be the most sexual person by any means but they certainly knew what they were doing. The symbiote’s cohesion visibly weakened as the colors of their body began to slip outwards and downwards, as if their very body were melting. Seethe continued, this time sliding two fingers delicately upwards, never pushing hard enough to penetrate themselves, they much preferred the external stimulation. Caspian gathered that their actions as Seethe were less ‘one or the other’ and more of a subconscious unity of movement, however they also couldn’t help but feel the urge to take control. Caspian exerted the smallest amount of control, neigh, it was guidance not control. Caspian exerted a small amount of guidance to Seethe. There were no words between the two, only understanding.

Seethe shifted their left hand, two fingers now expertly positioned and teasing just outside of where they wanted to be. They brought their other hand to their chest once more and simply placed it against their lower torso, admiring their body and skin as it melted away like candle wax. Seethe pressed their fingers downward once more, brushing by a particularly electric spot. Their hips bucked beyond their control, just for second and no longer. Caspian felt close, the warmth within had grown and the constant teasing didn’t seem like much but they felt that their other may have been playing with their brain chemistry. Seethe pushed one final time, running their fingers in a circular motion as their breathing grew faster and faster.

“h-hunnnffuc-“ they whined and finally felt themselves cry out.

With one last gasp and a significant exhale the air just outside of their mouth crackled as a powerful cosmic pink energy ignited the air. The oxygen itself burning from the raw celestial power they pushed out. The energy ceased just as fast at it appeared, Caspian’s new body melting away and disappearing beneath their skin. Caspian panted heavily at the effort, questioning whether they were actually winded or more likely surprised.

“w-what was that?” they asked in between breaths as they forced themselves into a sitting position.

Their eyes widened at the dark silhouette that laid around them, an outline of their new body forever burned into the wood paneling below. Caspian looked down at their oh so human body, a reminder that their other was still technically a separate being regardless of the fact that they shared a body. Caspian felt Seethe within, they retreated to the safety of their hosts body because they simply could not maintain their form. The exertion of effort destabilized their body, a reminder of the torturous experience of the vast ocean they believed would never end; a trauma they now both shared.

“we. WE need to fix this. To fix YOU.” Caspian collected themselves and stood up.

Their legs wobbled for a single second as the clothes they wore appeared to fit a little more loosely than they did before. Caspian could tell Seethe was struggling to hold together and it was maddening. They didn’t deserve this; they didn’t deserve this punishment. Caspian paused for a moment, recalling their sudden change of feelings before they… explored.

“you. You you played with my brain?” the tone was halfheartedly accusatory, as if they knew the answer but wanted to hear the words spoken.

Their was a moment of silence as they stood there and something Caspian could only describe as shame crept across their brain.

“Just. Just don’t do that again. We are partners now, you are mine and I am yours. I understand why you did it. I get it, you can barely hold together as it is and you needed something that I could only give you if I felt… love” the word fell from their tongue as the remaining oxytocin slipped away.

“You can’t do that anymore.” Caspian both metaphorically and physically put their foot down.  
“I will do everything in my power to fix you… to fix _us_ ” they spoke slowly but with a truthful and meaningful demeanor.   
“And I think I know where we can start.”

Caspian quickly left their living space with a determination and motivation they had not felt in a long time. They spent most of their adult life fighting their ever so frustrating mental health. It was not so much debilitating as it was inconvenient enough to cause some disruptions in their life and wellbeing. All of those feelings were still there, but it was as if they had been placed behind a rather thick glass pane. Caspian could see them, but they were just out of reach.

The New York air was clean, an incredibly pleasant coolness brushed over their skin that reminded them they probably should have dressed just a bit heavier. The thought had not even processed before their other began to push itself, to fold outwards and expand from the previous clothing into something much more appropriate. It was clear that the intricately patterned black, white, and pinkish red hoodie and solid black pants appeared rather damp. Caspian took note and forced themselves to walk faster.

They had never been to the Baxter Building or even met the Fantastic Four, but Reed Richards was considered one of the greatest intellects on the planet and would more than likely jump at the chance to examine and aid an extraterrestrial. There was an underlying anxiety that permeated both Caspian and their other, a fear of mortality, a fear that their bond was not as strong as they needed it to be, a fear that the only savior they could think of would reject them.

Caspian’s speed teetered between a light jog and rather uncomfortable speed walking. The sidewalk was mostly empty, only the occasional passerby. They knew that the Baxter Building with its near omnipresent gaze was just south of Central Park but still quite a way from their current location. Caspian pressed a hand against their newly formed pants. There were no pockets and they felt minor alarm upon realizing the lack of phone or wallet. Their other remained silent, likely focusing on just holding itself together at this point. Caspian felt their anxiety expand into panic as they broke into a light jog.

Each block began to pass faster and faster, they had no idea how fast they were running but it was certainly faster than they had ever moved before. Caspian forced themselves to a full blown stop just as the crosswalk light before them swapped to red. Their human brain told them they should have been panting, exhausted even, but their body disagreed. They felt uncertainty at the extent of their body’s new physical limits but also excitement.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The sound of distress was universal in every language. No matter what words came from someone’s mouth it was never hard to know when someone was crying for help. Caspian’s ears rang with the cries of a woman they had never met. They circled in place, searching for the source yet not seeing a single person anywhere. The light of the sun shown just barely through the taller downtown buildings on the horizon, the sky itself a deep orange and pink not too different from their own. Caspian paused and closed their eyes, the cry came once more as they attempted to locate the victim. It was nearby, within only a few hundred feet. The nearby buildings would be muffling and redirecting the sound just enough to confuse. Caspian froze, what were they thinking. They weren’t a superhero, they weren’t Spider-Man or an Avenger. They were just a confused human being who had suddenly found themselves in a bizarre situation. Their conscience fought back. _Heroes are not born. Heroes are made._ The words were unfamiliar yet somehow did not feel new.

Caspian tilted their head to the side, an audible pop accompanying the action. The person that Caspian suspected was a woman screamed again but it broke halfway through into crying.

“you don’t have to do this-“ she pleaded.

Caspian had been the victim before, they had been abused. They had been subjected to a psychological trauma that they had spent most of their life fighting to escape from. They felt an anger bubbling within, finally realizing the position they stood in. That they had the power, they were no longer the victim. They could be the superhero that never rescued them. Caspian stepped forward, immediately triangulating the sound to a nearby alley between two nondescript apartment buildings. Caspian was angry, it was a raw and completely unfiltered anger. They stepped between the buildings as the sunlight disappeared behind them. The man had not yet noticed the third member who had joined the soiree.

“Hey.” Caspian spoke firmly, their anger contained but forceful nonetheless.

The man gripped the woman’s hair in his meaty palm tightly. Whether he was ignoring Caspian or simply did not hear was unclear.

“HEY.” Caspian spoke once more, this time feeling their voice warble into unfamiliar territory, its inhuman base a reminder of the monster that lay within.

There was a single momentary pause as the man realized he had been caught, he turned while still gripping the woman’s hair. She winced at the pain of her scalp being pulled. Her lavender eyeshadow had run down her cheeks in small streaks that formed into rather beautiful tears, clinging to her chin.

“Mind your own fucking business kid.” The man scowled.

He didn’t look like the bad guys in the cartoons. He didn’t have wild tattoos over his entire body or a mohawk, he didn’t hold a chain or pipe in his hands or wear a ripped-up jacket. He was a mostly normal looking dude. Seemed to be middle aged, no more than mid forties or so, his hair was a faded black that was slicked back and greasy, just above shoulder length. His facial hair had just started to grow in over his somewhat weak looking chin. The man’s physicality was somewhat burly, not built with extensive muscle or anything but certainly fitting for his frame. Caspian was a few inches below 6’ and although they were about 10-15 feet apart they could still tell that the assaulter was probably half a foot taller or so.

“I said. Mind your own fucking business. Go home or I’m gonna have to hurt you too.” He pulled the woman’s hair once more and she yelped in response.

The shrill sound forcing Caspian’s anger to a tipping point. They took a step forward. Then another. Each step larger than the last as Caspian felt his clothing tighten and expand, as if their emotional response managed to give their other a second wind of sorts.

The black tar like goo spread over Caspian’s feet; their incredibly massive steps now cracking the asphalt of the alley they walked through. The air itself grew warm as their less than intimidating, almost feminine frame, began to grow dark in appearance and then significantly larger. Their new body towered over the man, the previous darkness of the alley now brightly visible in all of its flaws. The white lenses that were their eyes allowing the host to see details they never even considered before. The gum that had been stuck between the brick mortar of the buildings, or the dried tomato sauce on the side of a nearby dumpster. They inhaled deeply, the sweaty scent of the man filling their nostrils and even causing a bit of drool to dribble down their chin.

“ **GUILTY.** ” Seethe spoke with their new voice.

The bass it produced enough to vibrate the very water within someone’s body. Before the man could turn around to find the source of the voice Seethe extended a hand and tapped the man’s shoulder. There was a pause, a hesitation. There were no words exchanged between the woman and the man as his grip lessened. She saw the monster before her and felt the urge to scream. Her body disagreed, valuing safety and escape over such a fearful response. The man continued facing away from Seethe as the woman ran, his legs trembled and he whimpered ever so quietly.

“ **You are GUILTY** ” Seethe bellowed once more as they wrapped their colossal hand around his body.

The gargantuan appendage nearly engulfed his entire torso as their saliva soaked through his hair. His mouth was open as if he was trying to speak but no words were formed.

“She- she deserved it-“ he sobbed out.

Seethe didn’t know if this was true, they didn’t know the context or events that had transpired. There was no hesitation however, their mind had already been decided. Such words echoed in their head, triggering additional anger they did not even know they had been holding on to. As if some sort of repressed memory or trigger had been pushed over the edge.

Seethe tightened their hand in response, a sickening _crunch_ along with a quieter squelching sound causing the white sclera of the man to grow bloodshot. The oxygen had been forced from his body as his ribs splintered into his lungs and between Seethe’s fingers. The warm air around them grew hotter as the man’s skin began to grow a deeper and deeper red, as if it was being cooked.

“ **GUILTY. GUILTY. GUILTY.** ” They shouted as the air crackled around them once more.

Blood dripped from between their massive clawed hands and formed a thick pool on the now tainted ground below. The blood began to bubble, boiling almost instantly as the smell of burning flesh and cooking asphalt filled the alleyway. Saliva slipped out between every word as Seethe’s thoughts blurred with a singular emotion. They bent forward as they squeezed the man even tighter. They could see he was only seconds away from losing consciousness or maybe even dying. They didn’t care.

Seethe opened their mouth, a long and thick tongue slipping out form between the rows of impossibly sharp white teeth. They brought their mouth over his head, the very hair on his scalp beginning to ignite from the sheer heat of the cosmic radiation they exhaled. Without any more hesitation Seethe swept their tongue across his cheek and over his eye, the skin bubbled away as the trail of boiling saliva blinded the man and marked his face forever. There was a single moment where they considered leaving the man, simply letting him bleed out in the alley or possibly be found and even rescued by emergency medical services; forever reminded of his deeds by the psychological and physical scars that would never heal. These thoughts were momentary as they pursued a more immediate justice. Their teeth closed around the man’s face, everything from the top of his head to just below his nose being placed into their mouth. Their teeth seared the flesh for less than a second before the force of their bite severed the skin, nerves, and tendons above the mandible and through the cervical vertebrae.

Seethe dropped the body on to the ground as it plopped into the pool of blood. The watery plasma had been nearly evaporated completely out and all that was left was a thick red paste of congealed red blood cells.

Seethe chewed the fragmented bits of skull and toasted skin. It was almost pork like in texture and flavor but slightly sweeter, certainly not the worst thing they had ever tasted. Seethe couldn’t help but feel momentary surprise as the man’s brains squirted across their tongue like splattered jelly. The texture was a surprise, and not exactly a welcome one. They chewed the flesh which felt as if it was getting tougher and tougher for a few seconds until Caspian realized their other had retreated back into its clothing form. They froze, suddenly becoming aware of the events that had transpired. The pulpy corpse besides them, the multiple scents of burning substances, the human organ in their mouth. They knew they should have been horrified, but there was a calmness. A cathartic bliss over what had just happened; they didn’t feel like a monster. They felt like a hero. They smiled to themselves before spitting a few shards of unchewed bone off to the side. It was so wrong, but it felt so right.

It hadn’t taken nearly as long as they had thought it would to reach the Baxter Building once they realized they could push their body past its traditionally human limits. Miles of buildings and road had turned into nothing more than a minor nuisance. The journey was more of a test of patience than anything. They could run about as fast as a moderately fast car, probably somewhere in the mid 30 to 40 mile per hour range but there was no way to know. Getting around New York was a lot simpler since they did not have to rely on mass transit, even if it had been significantly improved by donations from the Rand Corporation and Stark himself.

They stared upwards at the almost entirely glass-like building. Upon initial inspection most would think that the clear window panes were simply traditional glass, but almost nothing was as it seemed when it came to the Fantastic Four. The windows were actually an artificial shielding that had been designed as the first line of defense against possible intruders. Reed Richards was notorious for working on nearly multiversal level technology and had learned the hard way about how important security was. The lobby was always open to the public, but it was impossible to see the First Family without an invitation of some sort. Caspian looked upwards towards the giant ‘4’ prominently displayed on the side of the structure. They were not like other heroes, they didn’t hide their base of operations like Doctor Strange, they didn’t hide behind masks like Spider-Man, they were forced underground like the X-Men. The Fantastic Four were viewed as the single most ideal group to operate publicly. Even the Avengers had some publicity issues, Caspian recalled the lingering international effects of the Superhuman Registration Act.

There was a momentary pause as they genuinely did not know how they were going to get up there. Hell, they didn’t even know if Reed or Sue were even there. They could easily be on some covert mission in Latveria, or skulking around in another dimension or something. Caspian pushed these thoughts away as his other continued to remain silent. They had felt eachother strongly in the alleyway but it was as if their ability to maintain cohesion would come and go without reason. Caspian hoped with all their heart that such a sickness could be remedied.

“Stark would probably just try to turn you into a weapon,” they mumbled knowing that there really wasn’t much of an alternative.

Caspian looked around the now moonlight bathed streets of the city. There was little activity or even civilians walking around. Caspian felt Seethe pull beneath his skin, half trying to hold themselves together and half encouraging their host. They did not need to speak to understand one another and headed to the lobby.

They approached the entrance and pushed against the door; the cool glass of the outside was immediately contrasted by the warm air conditioning of the inside. The lobby was almost barren in appearance. Its simplicity and lack of furniture was likely due to it needing to have been refurbished so frequently over the years. A number of supervillains destroy the room enough times and the landlord wouldn’t want to pay for it anymore. The only notable pieces of the room were a single medium sized couch made of a brownish leather; two elevators right next to eachother, one of which appeared significantly larger and more capable of bearing weight, and a desk with one man behind it to welcome guests.

“Hello… uh s-sir” the man spoke with minor uncertainty, clearly unsure of how exactly to refer to the gender nonconforming intruder.

Caspian rolled with the statement as they were used to all sorts of assumptions regarding their appearance.

“Yes Hi, we- uh er. _I_ know you need an appointment to speak to Dr. Richards but this is a bit of an emergency and-“ Caspian spoke incredibly quickly, a clear social anxiety not having been overcome.

“Let me just stop you right there.” The man said with as much politeness as one could muster.

The older gentleman, likely in his early sixties, looked Caspian up and down. There was nothing that particularly stood out in a negative or positive way on the young adult. He smelled the faintest scent of saltwater taffy, a berry flavor he could not quite put his finger on.

“I can’t let you up there. I can’t just go around letting every fan that wants an autograph into their house just because they showed up when there wasn’t a line.” The man in the lobby gave a plastic smile that screamed ‘years in the service industry’.  
“No you don’t understand-“ Caspian felt irritation creep into their voice as their voice dropped an octave or so.  
“We aren’t asking.” They said as the man’s smile was instantly replaced with minor frustration.

The man slipped a finger beneath the desk, hovering just over a small button that would alert anyone upstairs of the danger.

“We are going up there whether you like it or not.” Seethe’s voice spat out of Caspian’s body as no differently than before their skin began to blacken as a watery goo bubbled out of their skin.

Some of it dripped onto the floor as it struggled to hold cohesion more than ever before. Seethe’s entire body formed faster than before, as if it was a muscle that was becoming easier to use. The white streaks along their arms began to drip on to the floor of the lobby, surrounding them in a small puddle of mostly black with the occasional spot of white, red, or even pink.

“Y-you, you’re melting” the man said in confusion and disbelief as he sat stunned at the monster before him.

His finger pressed the small red button in a panic first once, then twice and then a third time before Seethe swung their massive arm across his face. The appendage struck with a wet slap as the alien goo’s failing form lessened the impact. The man fell to the floor but was visibly almost completely uninjured. Seethe shook their head and stumbled towards the elevators they had spotted upon arrival. Each footprint left a wet black outline as a small portion of the creature was left behind. Seethe could feel the weakness in their body but at the same time knew their goal was near.

“Just, we just have to get upstairs” they gargled as they placed their massive claws between the larger elevator doors.

They pried the doors open and forced their dwindling mass inside. The freight like elevator was likely used for The Thing as everything about it appeared to reinforced in a manner to prevent accidental breaking. The buttons were numbered, one for each floor of the facility, yet at the top of the rows of buttons there was a significantly larger glass button. Seethe pressed their palm against it and the thick blue ‘4’ logo glowed brightly, only slightly darkened by the light layer of a partially opaque black goo leftover.

Seethe placed their hands against their knees and bent over as the elevator soared upwards. They panted deeply as a familiar wave of nausea pushed the water black fluid from earlier that day across the elevator floor. They gagged at the salty taste and puked once more, panting heavily. The wave of nausea subsided quickly as they stood in a puddle of their own making which was visibly trying to pull itself back into the feet that stood over it. As if their body was doing everything it could to recollect its mass.

The elevator dinged happily and the doors slid open, revealing a massive open room. It was likely a laboratory… Reed’s Laboratory! The excitement hit them as they stumbled out of the elevator, leaving a trail of fluid behind them.

“H-help” they called out nearly breathlessly as they struggled to maintain balance moving forward. Seethe bumped into a large table just in front of an impossibly advanced appearing machine.  
“Help!” they called once more as they gargled through more of the fluid that collected in their mouth.

The lab remained silent for another moment; did nobody hear their call for help? Were they too quiet to be heard? Was nobody home.

A peculiar footstep echoed through the large room. Its sound was that of the exact opposite of their own wet steps. These steps were heavy, the sound of one dense material against another. Rock against metal.

Ben Grimm stepped into the laboratory, knowing that the call for help downstairs was likely nothing more than someone getting a little bit too loud but knowing full well there could be actual danger. He ran a rocky hand against his head and scratched deeply, the smallest amount of orange powder dropping to the floor as his rock hand grated against his stone skull.

“I’ll be back in a minute guys, don’t get up” he called back to the hallway, possibly even talking to those Seethe searched for.

His voice was somewhat hard to listen to, it was unnatural. The impossible sound of inorganic material functioning in an organic way as every inch of the man’s body both inside and out had been replaced with stone. Seethe coughed wetly as more fluid sprayed on to the floor. They forced themselves to stand, leaning against the massive machine behind them that hummed quietly with energy. Ben stopped, looking in the darkened room towards the source of the sound just as his thick finger brushed by a small switch. The entire room lit up and revealed the dozens of laboratory reports and bizarre machines that had been strewn about. Ben looked towards the newest and most dangerous machine just in the center of the room. Seethe felt eyes on their body as they struggled to speak, coughing once more and nearly falling to the ground.

“I don’t know who you are, but I’m about ta throw you outta that window.” Ben’s voice scraped Seethe’s ears.

He approached quickly and with purpose, no stranger to a fight. Without words or thoughts his arm winded up just as the creature before him brought its own hand’s up. The difference was that Seethe was trying to surrender and Ben could only see the monster before him. His fist rocketed forward with enough force to flatten a car and connected almost instantly.

“Wha-“ he muttered out in surprise as he took note that his arm was partially engulfed in the ooze before him.  
“You’re, yur one of them alien goos. Yur a, a,” he searched for the word as Seethe couldn’t help but feel their irritation grow.  
“You’re a Klyntar. You’re one of them _parasites_ ”

The word echoed in Seethe’s brain. Both host and symbiote hearing the accusation and feeling a sudden and uncontrollable rage grow within. The emotional response was almost instantly noticeable as Seethe began to pull themselves back together. Their cohesion still visibly weak and not nearly as dense as in the alley, but more than enough to hold together.

“ **PARASITE?!** ” Seethe screamed with enough force to shake the windows of the building.

Ben Grimm did not consider himself a fearful man. He had fought gods and monsters, creatures from other planets and dimensions. He didn’t even know his own limits but played with the idea he might even be immortal due to his _condition._ However, in that very moment for the briefest of seconds, he felt fear. The air grew to an uncomfortable warmth, a potted plant that had been cared for and carefully placed on a nearby desk likely for Reed by his wife, instantly wilted and died from the sheer change in temperature.

“ **WE ARE NOT A PARASITE** ” Seethe screamed once more in anger, Caspian felt his own outrage burn beneath.

His other had saved his life, they were bonded. They were one. Their relationship was not one sided, it was not _parasitic_. The very word tasted sour. Seethe pushed their chest forward as Ben’s hand slipped out. There was no witty dialogue between the two, only survival and emotion. Seethe knew they had come their for help but all logic had ceased beneath a blanket of rage. It was unclear if this was a side effect of their current condition or perhaps a mental trigger for the symbiote itself. Seethe opened their hand and threw their arm forward, their deep pink talons and blood red fingers scraping across The Thing’s chest. The stone did not break, but their fingers did in a sense. A bright and strong pink smear of color was raked across his chest as his incredibly dense body and their weak form clashed.

Ben brought his leg up to the monster and threw it forward, the massive surface area and newly refreshed density of the creature hitting one another and slamming Seethe against the machine. Ben knew he had to be careful with all of the equipment in the room, wincing as the monster smashed against the contraption in front of him. He wanted to end the fight as quickly as possible, recalling the last time he had a member of that species it had trapped Spider-Man in his own body. He felt a sense of duty grow as he knew he needed to save whoever was trapped beneath. He opened his massive palm and leaned forward in an attempt to grasp the monster’s throat. It was somewhat larger than his own body, maybe not in weight but in height for sure.

Seethe watched as the hand closed the distance between them, their superior reflexes allowing them to react to such offenses easier. Seethe stepped to the side, placing their own hands over his outstretched arm and using his own momentum against him. Seethe threw The Thing forward and against the machine they had been cornered against. It warbled in displeasure and wined loudly. During the few seconds they had stunned Ben, Seethe placed the left foot over his right as an anchor, pressed their left hand just where his sternum should’ve been, and reared their right hand up. The air grew warmer and the stainless-steel outer shell of the machine Seethe had cornered Ben against glowed red.

“No, you don’t understand” Ben began to speak as fear crept into his voice.

“Stop!” two more voices called out as a man and a woman began to enter the room.

Seethe heard none of these cries as they threw their hand forward. Ben’s head jerked to the side as Seethe pummeled where his skull had been. Their closed fist piercing the metal layer he had been pinned against. There was no sound. There was nothing but an opaque white wall of light that grew outwards from the machine, engulfing all it came into contact with. The glass walls of the Baxter Building exploded outwards as the light silently flew across all of New York City in the blink of an eye.

**_KEEP READING, IT'S ONLY GETTING STARTED_ **

**Author's Note:**

> Please consider staying with the series as it moves forward.  
> You can reach me  
> @MeisterMarrow on Twitter  
> or  
> @MarrowMeister on Tumblr.  
> I would love to discuss these characters further or share fully realized art of them, don't be afraid to reach out to me.


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